1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to safety lights placed on road vehicles and, more particularly, to safety lights especially adapted for an outboard motor that is towed by a trailer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
To move boats over land, wailers pulled by motor vehicles are generally employed. PAthough rear safety lights on the motor vehicles are generally placed at a relatively high level above the road surface, the safety lights that are present on the boat Wailer are generally placed at a relatively low level above the road surface. This disparity of placement of safety lights may pose a safety hazard. Drivers who are following a boat and trailer that are pulled by a vehicle are generally accustomed to seeing safety lights at a higher level than in boat trailers. As a result, the relatively low level trailer lights may not be readily noticed by a following driver. This being the case, it would be desirable if a safety light were provided for a boat and trailer that is located at a relatively high level above the road surface. A higher level safety light would be more readily noticed by a driver following the boat and trailer because the positioning of such a safety light would be at a more customary position.
Throughout the years, a number of innovations have been developed relating to safety lights for trailers, and the following U.S. patents are representative of some of those innovations: U.S. Pat. No. 4,520,109; 5,157,591; 5,285,113; and Des. 257,202. None of these patents address the issue of safety lights that are relatively low with respect to the road surface.
Another patent that may be of interest with respect to the safe towing of boats on trailers is U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,399 which discloses a cover that is placed over a propeller wherein the cover is reflective of light. Generally, a propeller is relatively low with respect to the road surface.
When a boat that has an outboard motor is towed on a trailer, the level of the outboard motor housing is generally above the level of the trailer safety lights with respect to the road surface. In this respect, it would be desirable if a safety light were provided that were supported by the housing of an outboard motor.
Still other features would be desirable in an outboard-motor-mounted safety light apparatus. The housing for an outboard motor usually includes a removable cover. Therefore, for a safety light that is supported by a removable cover of an outboard motor, it would be desirable if the safety light could be readily disconnected from its source of electrical power.
The safety lights for trailers that carry boats often derive their power from batteries that are on the boats. In this respect, for purposes of simplicity and convenience, it would be desirable if a safety light, that was supported on the removable cover of an outboard motor, derives its electrical power from the battery on the boat.
Safety considerations for an outboard motor boat extend beyond circumstances in which the boat is being towed on the road by a motor vehicle. Safety considerations also extend into the water when the boat is launched. When a boat is stopped or moving slowly in the water, drivers of other boats may not readily perceive either of those conditions. In this respect, it would be desirable if a safety light were provided on an outboard motor boat which gave warning to other boats that the subject boat is either stopped or moving slowly in the water. However, once the boat attains a certain speed, this type of safety light should turn off. Therefore, it would be desirable for a safety light that is present on a boat in the water to be controlled by a tachometer on the boat so that the safety light can be extinguished when the motor reaches a predetermined speed.
For purposes of economy and simplicity, it would be desirable if a single safety light could serve both when the boat is being towed on a trailer and when the boat was in the water in a stopped or slow speed condition. For convenience, such a single safety light could be actuated by a switch that is actuated when the engine of the outboard motor is cranked.
Thus, while the foregoing body of prior art indicates it to be well known to use safety lights on trailers that are used to tow boats, the prior art described above does not teach or suggest an outboard-motor-mounted safety light apparatus which has the following combination of desirable features: (1) provides a safety light for a boat and trailer that is located at a relatively high level above the road surface; (2) provides a safety light that is supported by the housing of an outboard motor; (3) provides a safety light can be readily disconnected from its source of electrical power; (4) derives its electrical power from a battery on the boat; (5) provides a safety light on an outboard motor boat which gives warning to other boats that the subject boat is either stopped or moving slowly in the water; (6) provides a safety light on a boat when the boat is in the water wherein the safety light is controlled by a tachometer on the boat; and (7) provides a single safety light that can serve both when the boat is being towed on a trailer and when the boat is in the water in a stopped or slow speed condition. The foregoing desired characteristics are provided by the unique outboard-motor-mounted safety light apparatus of the present invention as will be made apparent from the following description thereof. Other advantages of the present invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident.